Friday, December 23, 2011

Synchronicity

I had just written about the music I'd be listening to when I start work on the next manuscript, and it happened. Strange. Prophetic. Powerful.

I had scraped the ice from my windows, got into my car, and turned on the MP3 player. The first song was none other than Non's "Predator/Prey." The exact band I'd be listening to. One of the songs I envisioned. It was as if the dark universe I'd be tapping into gave me its approval.
The magic of music is its ability to transform an otherwise normal situation into something sublime. You're at dinner with a friend and you hear just the right song. You meet someone special you are interested in and the moment you realize it you hear a song that seems to sum up your mood perfectly. You are driving in Boston during the Big Dig and Skinny Puppy is doing its best to kill you. Yesterday was one of those moments. This manuscript will require a lot of work, a lot of research and my job is just going to get in the way, so as I was scraping I was wondering all the things I could do about it. I came up with some solutions, and then when that song hit, I knew I was on the right track. Magic, indeed.

Those who have heard "Predator/Prey" know how the tones change just enough to make you feel on edge. It is almost sublime. It's the kind of song that a friend will ask you to change when it comes on. It makes listeners uncomfortable. That's my manuscript idea. (That's usually the idea behind my stories, actually.) To have that come on at a time I was thinking of it seems perfect. Pulling out of my driveway as the noise continued unabated I could only laugh. Even the song title was an omen. Predator. Prey. That is the central theme of the next manuscript. That is the central theme of life. You are either predator or prey ... and somewhere there is a soundtrack to whatever end of the hunt you are on.